The Fashion Files

Spring into style with fresh neutrals from local boutiques

Dramatic Dining

The dining room came together in waves. Susan knew she’d be working with a few pieces from her client’s previous home, including the dining table, buffet, and chandelier. Then she found the pièce de résistance—a Brunschwig & Fils wallpaper called “Le Grand Palais,” and its cobalt color and over-scaled damask pattern set the tone for the rest of the room. “When I found the wallpaper, I knew I wanted to paint the table black,” Susan says. “I think I threw her a curveball; she had to sit on it a bit, but she said, ‘Let’s do it.’” The buffet was painted black to match and given a marble top for a total refresh.

Several years ago, the owner of this home in Little Rock’s Heights neighborhood was looking for some help refreshing the recently purchased residence. Her daughter-in-law connected her with designer Susan Walsh, and thus began a yearslong collaboration culminating in an interior that feels dedicated to her favorite color combo.

For the overall aesthetic, the client had a simple request. “Her only requirements were blues and whites,” Susan says. “I was curating items for her house, and she understood that it takes time and research, and she was good with that.” They started the project with a meeting at the client’s former home, determining which pieces could translate to the new space. These would become the anchor pieces Susan incorporated into the new house in an updated way.

True to the “hurry up and wait" nature of home projects, this one was originally set on a tight timeline —only to experience delays near the end. Susan initially had six weeks before the homeowner needed to move in. She worked with contractor Fred Lord to remove the existing entryway tile for a fresher marble look and add panel molding. To help expedite the process, Fred even hired two paint crews—one for the left wing of the house and one for the right—and Susan got to work on a plan for furnishings. When the homeowner moved in, the project was almost complete; it was liveable, but some areas, such as the living room, were still a work in progress. Then the COVID-19 pandemic began, and those final touches were put on hold even longer, turning this six-week project into a much longer endeavor. Extending the process was fine by Susan, who believes good design takes time. “A house really does evolve,” she says. “Which is not to say that you can’t do it all at once, but we did a lot in that first year and still allowed space for things to happen over time. That’s what made her house feel more personal.” AH

Relaxing Retreat

A casual family room close to the back of the house offers the homeowner a place to gather with guests for television and conversation. “She spends a lot of time in this room and loves it, so it needed to be comfortable and allow for her to have friends over,” Susan says. She had existing swivel chairs reupholstered in a textured navy fabric and sourced a white sculptural mirror from Made Goods to add additional architectural interest.

Statement Ceiling

Susan pulled the deep blue hue from the wallpaper in the adjoining dining room and painted the living room ceiling in “Blueberry Hill” by Benjamin Moore. “At first she thought I was crazy, but painting the ceiling gave it a lot of lift,” Susan says. She also helped her client source original art. For example, the painting over the couch by Little Rock artist Zac Woodiel was created especially for this space. Across the room, a piece by Barbara Flowers (sourced from Anne Irwin Fine Art in Atlanta) hangs over the mantel.

Transitional elements such as the glass coffee table and foyer mirror balance the antiques and traditional architectural elements found throughout the house. Custom drapes, sconce shades, and ottomans covered in a blue-andblack velvet tiger print further the room’s layered appeal.

Playful Contrast

Since the homeowner has plenty of grandchildren who like to spend the night, Susan wanted to have fun in a guest room intended for little ones. She chose a pale green wall color (“Rice Paddy” by SherwinWilliams) paired with blue bedding and X-benches at the foot of each twin bed. Custom watercolors by Little Rock’s Ashley Saer tie together all the colors in the room.

Soft And Soothing

Damask reappears in the primary bedroom (opposite), where Susan repeated a China Seas fabric in applications on the bedskirt, bench, upholstered headboard, and custom floor-to-ceiling draperies. She used a similar paint color to fully ensconce the room in the light blue hue. “It’s saturated, but still very soft and relaxing,” she says.

INDOOR-OUTDOOR APPEAL

The backyard offers multiple areas for enjoying spring weather with friends and family. A covered porch is accessible from both the family room and primary bedroom, and Susan outfitted the space with timeless wicker pieces from Century Furniture. “We wanted it to be comfortable, and you have the flagstone to balance the wicker,” Susan says. By the pool, a table and chairs from Ballard Designs offer a spot for dining al fresco. Custom outdoor cushions tie the spaces together as well as to the home’s blue-and-white interiors.

In Bentonville, interior designer Whitney Romanoff helps restore a century-old farmhouse deeply rooted in Arkansas history while imbuing it with cottage charm and playful details

Farmhouse Feel

Though they

For Erin and Jon Richardson, bringing new life to their 120-year-old stone farmhouse required a creative collaboration that embraced their love of color, pattern, and playfulness while honoring the history of the home and its builder. After connecting with Whitney Romanoff of Meet West Studio via Instagram, Erin said she quickly knew she had found the right designer. “I just loved Whitney’s style,” she says. “I loved that it was organic, and I could tell that she had a strong vision.”

The Bentonville farmhouse is a slice of Arkansas history that Erin and Jon were determined to preserve and amplify. The land the house sits on was first purchased in 1898 by Aaron “Rock” Van Winkle, an emancipated slave who worked as a lumberman in the Northwest Arkansas region. According to Jerry Harris Moore, a historian and professor of sociology at Northwest Arkansas Community College, Rock was a skilled engineer and “principal agent” of Van Winkle Mills, owned by Peter Van Winkle. Timber from the Van Winkle Mills was used to build

All In The Family

hundreds of homes and businesses in the area, including the University of Arkansas’s Old Main. Jerry says Rock’s impact on the Bentonville community—and his contributions to Arkansas history—cannot be overstated. “What makes this house important is that Rock built it. It was Rock’s house, and it wasn’t anyone else’s house,” Jerry says. “He used timber from the empire that he helped build, so he took what he had developed and created a space for his family. At the time, the house he built was top notch. He built a house equivalent to the wealthy whites, and probably better than most whites. The area he lived in was in the country, so therefore Bentonville grew to his area and then passed it.”

Erin and Jon bought the home in February 2020, and they lived in the house for a year before making any changes, which Whitney says was the “total right thing” to do. “They were able to fully understand what was working, what wasn’t

Through The Years

Inspired by the kitchens of Italian, French, and British farmhouses, Erin and Whitney wanted to use natural materials and finishes designed to age gracefully over time. The terracotta tiles are sealed but not polished, giving them an antique finish that “connects the space to the surrounding landscape and earth outside,” Whitney says. The faucets, light switches, and hardware are unlacquered brass, which Whitney says “continues living and adds a great warmth to the space.”

Artisan Touches

The home sits on land that was once a walnut farm, and a few trees remain on the property. Whitney paid homage to this through the use of a custom-mixed walnut stain to get a warm, rich tone for the lower cabinets. They contrast elegantly with the backsplash of handmade zellige tile. “It had lots of earthiness in the glaze, so I thought Erin, as a ceramicist, would really appreciate it,” Whitney says.

Let The Light In

As a fresh breath of light in contrast to the moodier dining room, the home’s family room is painted in Benjamin Moore’s “Opal,” which Whitney says has the “perfect undertone of peachy pink.” “In the afternoon with the light from the windows behind the sofa, it just makes this room have a peachy sunset glow,” Whitney says. “Erin is not one to have all-over white paint, so this gave us some color but still brightened the space, keeping it open and airy with a warm glow at night.” working, and how they used the space,” Whitney says. “I think it says a lot about Erin, too, and her care and respect for the home—she didn’t want to just come in and start ripping out walls.”

Aesthetically, Erin was inspired by British maximalist interiors and the “old world feel” of European farmhouses. For her part, Whitney researched the designs of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement, with their emphasis on natural materials and craftsmanship, to marry those influences within the context of this house.

“We really wanted to make the space feel like them ,” Whitney says. “We wanted to warm it up, add some light, and, with some of the choices we made, root it back into Arkansas and the time period of the home. In Erin’s words, ‘I want to do right by Rock.’”

When design changes began, Erin was pregnant with the couple’s first child, so reconfiguring the laundry room was the top priority. They then moved through the rest of the home, imbuing each space with color, pattern, and hand-crafted details that speak to both the history of the home and the passions of its current inhabitants. “Erin is a

WELCOMING WHIMSY

Whitney used another Morris & Co. wallpaper, titled “Honeysuckle,” in the home’s entry. “It’s one of those Arkansas memories, the red clay and the honeysuckle summer,” Whitney says. The built-in benches provide storage and, along with the trim, ceiling, and molding, are painted the same light green as the kitchen cabinets. “Something about this ‘Breakfast Room Green’ is a couple notches up on the funk,” Whitney says. “It has a little bit of the electricity Erin was looking for.”

Details That Sing

In the guest bathroom, Whitney was inspired by historic homes and old hotels, where the spaces look “custom and built in, and not tacked on.” Grasscloth wallpaper “adds a bit of richness, warmth and texture,” she says, but doesn’t take away from the custom mosaic floor by American Restoration Tile, whom she worked with to create the design based on a wedding quilt pattern from the 1920s.

Custom Curves

The guest bath vanity was found on Facebook Marketplace, and for the countertop, a remnant of granite was treated with a matte finish. “Something about that subtle curve that fits perfectly around the rounded mirror adds a little something extra that makes it feel special,” Whitney says. The diminutive sconce features a pleated ceramic lampshade, both a nod to the British interiors that inspired the home’s décor and to Erin’s craft.

ceramicist, so we felt like that was something we wanted to celebrate for her—the hand of the artist, and those details being present in as many finishes as we could select,” Whitney says.

For Erin and Jon, caring for the home Rock Van Winkle built is rooted in ensuring the house—and his story—continue to stand the test of time. “When we bought this home, we knew that we were just temporary visitors here,” Erin says. “This home was here before we were born and will be here after we die, and we are just stewards of it. It was our job to leave this home in a better place than we found it. That’s how we view our role in this home.” AH

Bathing Beauty

“We wanted to give it that bathhouse feel,” Whitney says of the primary bath. The small room has low ceilings, so the addition of the skylight helps open the space, as does carrying the handmade white subway tile all the way onto the ceiling. To the left of the claw foot tub, a pony wall separates the shower. A rustic three legged stool adds earthy warmth, while a vintage acrylic and brass towel bar from France brings a touch of glamour.

SMALL SPACE, BIG IMPACT

Working within the room’s confines, Whitney chose small mirrors to nestle in the curves of the vanity’s “Statuario” marble countertop and a twin sconce to shed light on the double sinks. Handmade Mexican hardware in a forged bronze and the walnut tones of the vanity bring warmth to the bright, airy room.

Design Resources CONTRACTOR (BATHROOMS, DINING, AND KITCHEN) KTJ Construction CONTRACTOR (LAUNDRY ROOM) Allen Echols INTERIOR DESIGN Whitney Romanoff, Meet West Studio ACCESSORIES, FABRICS, FIXTURES, HARDWARE, LIGHTING, MIRRORS, WALLPAPER, AND WINDOW COVERINGS

AND COUNTERTOPS JRG

Tile and Meet West Studio TILE (INSTALLATION) Travis